Edinburgh fest to bow ‘Breathing’

Doc will air globally to raise awareness of motor neurone disease

LONDON

The Edinburgh Film Festival will kick off a worldwide screening day for documentary “I am Breathing” as part of Global Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Day on June 21.

The fest, in Scotland’s capital, will host the U.K. preem on June 20, the first confirmed screening of its 2013 program. The global screening event takes place the following day in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and the Balkans.

“We’re proud to host the premiere of this shattering film,” said Chris Fujiwara, Edinburgh’s artistic director. ” ‘I am Breathing’ is a documentary that says a great deal, with great eloquence and heart, about the ability of humanity to sustain and express itself under the most terrible limitations.”

“I am Breathing” follows 33-year-old Neil Platt, who collaborated with helmers Emma Davie and Morag McKinnon to share his experience of the debilitating disease in his last few months.

The doc is co-produced by Scottish Documentary Institute Prods. and Danish Documentary with funding from Creative Scotland, the Danish Film Institute, Wellcome Trust, Motor Neurone Disease Assn. and the former U.K. Film Council.

“We love exploring new partnerships with festivals, organizations, venues and audiences,” said producer Sonja Henrici. “MNDA has believed in our film from the start, and through them we initiated the global screening day to coincide with the MND/ALS Global Awareness Day. We are excited that Edinburgh will be the hub of our global screening day. These collaborations are essential for experimenting with such a multi-platform release.”